Vegas: Cosmopolitan and Aria

Given that summertime temperatures in Vegas are regularly soaring well over 105 degrees Fahrenheit (or a cool 40 degrees Celsius), it should come as no surprise that one of our city's largest attractions are the obligatory hotel pools at each resort. There are more pools than there are casinos, by far, as most have multiple places to swim or play with beach and pool clubs running alongside their usual family-friendly offerings all along the Strip, not to mention our suburban waterparks like Cowabunga Bay. Each pool is going to invariably be as unique as the individual casino hosting it, and it's well worth staying at different hotels or paying for a day pass to explore the different offerings available all throughout the city! Another way to keep cool, between relaxing swims, is to explore the nicely air-conditioned interiors of the hotels themselves and dabble in some real or window shopping. There's a lot of connections and bridges making it exceptionally easy to get from one to the next without having to risk traffic, though you might get accosted by a "monk" who demands a donation in exchange for a cheap bracelet or fancy golden card they try to push on you. Don't let them dupe you, though- they aren't allowed to demand money from you, no matter how aggressive they get. They make me really mad and I've shouted obscene things to them in the past when they tried to get hands on. There's a lot of buskers and hecklers out there on the public streets, but they're kept out of casinos due to private property laws and security, so don't worry. 

My good friend Blaze and I found ourselves here to see a movie. Originally Antho had gotten tickets to the event for us to go, but he ended up having to work, so I invited Blaze out in his stead and we had a blast! We spent most of the early evening sipping on Fat Tuesday drinks and exploring the Cosmopolitan and the Aria. I'd never really been to either resort before, so it was a lot of fun to see how extravagant and fancy they are! We'll be going to at least a couple more movies throughout the summer, so hopefully I'll get to make a side quest to try the Secret Pizza restaurant, or Momofuku and Milk Bar. If the inclusion of options like Michelin-star award winner Momofuku don't clue you in, the Cosmopolitan fancies itself one bougie bitch. She's not wrong, mind you. The air is pumped full of a dense rich vanilla scent that made me feel a bit like I was trying to snort vanilla pudding. For someone who's not used to smelling much of anything at all, I found the smell cloying and overwhelming and was really relieved to get up to the roof and into the fresh air.   

Vegas: Visit from Kelly and wandering The Strip at night

I've written about the incredibly talented Kelly O'Brien before, and when she messaged me one day to let me know she'd spontaneously found herself Vegas bound I was super excited to show her around! We'd met up before in Seoul, South Korea, and had dinner together but she'd never been to Vegas before this so we felt duty-bound to show her some of our favorite spots. We made sure to hit up the Flamingo's hidden garden, the Linq Promenade, the Venetian, and Caesar's palace before eventually making our way back to the Linq Promenade and topping the night off with cupcakes from the 24-hour cupcake ATM at Sprinkles. What, your city doesn't have a 24-hour cupcake ATM? Huh. 

Kelly was rocking one of our tie-dyes, too, which made me so happy! There's always the initial thrill and pride of selling one of our creations, but to see them actually being worn and enjoyed is kind of like what a bird must feel seeing it's little ones take flight for the first time. In the end, we had a lot of fun and some memorable moments, though after drinking a Fat Tuesday it's questionable how much will actually be remembered! Lol. If you've never had one, those drinks are seriously strong but also seriously tasty, and they're available all over the Vegas strip. You can get vessels shaped like bongos, guitars, rubber duckies, any number of silly novelty shapes to tote your booze slushy around in. They're perfect for this summer heat, but because they're so sweet and tasty it's easy to slurp it down before realizing how strong it is. When it was time to take her back to her temporary home for the evening, we let Kelly sprawl out on the bed in the back of the van since the drink had gotten the best of her, and we made sure to provide a big bottle of cold water to try to fight the hangover. Hydration is extremely important, kids, especially in the heat we get here in Vegas! 

And this was an overcast week, guys. Ugh. One reason, out of many, that I refuse to die in Vegas is that of our summers. Despite this city being my home, and birthplace, thus having a special place in my heart, every summer I vow to be my last summer living in this infernal desert. I know that for many this is ideal, a dry, hot heat that makes it an inhospitable climate for many types of pesky insects (but not for scorpions or centipedes and other creepy crawlies) with predictably sunny weather all year long...  but I like having seasons and weather! When we got hit by typhoons in Japan I was so excited to experience such extreme rains and wind, because it's something that never happens here. I don't mind the rain, I actually quite enjoy it. But I digress... while here in Vegas, it's best to make the best of my location and enjoy the privilege of being able to play host to my friend during her stay!